With talks uncertain, Trump again claims 'obliteration' of Iran's nuclear program

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday (April 20) called the strikes carried out by the U.S. last year under the code name Operation Midnight Hammer a "complete and total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear sites, as talks between the two countries remain uncertain.

The 2025 attack was the U.S. military's only offensive action in the Twelve-Day War, which began on June 13 with surprise Israeli strikes and ended with a ceasefire on June 24, 2025.

Iran is considering attending peace talks with the United States in Pakistan, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday, following moves by Islamabad to end a U.S. blockade of Iran's ports, a significant obstacle to Tehran rejoining peace efforts as the end of a two-week ceasefire approaches.

However, the official stressed that no decision had been made, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that "continued violations of the ceasefire" by the U.S. are a major obstacle to continuing the diplomatic process.

-Daniel Lim/Reuters